Marketing campaign application for multiple electronic distribution channels

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for allowing a merchant to create offers for distribution via multiple distribution channels. The distribution channels may include social media networks and location based services. The method may include receiving offer parameters for generating the offer, generating offer data based on the offer parameters and merchant transaction data, and determining data subsets of the offer data for distribution through multiple electronic distribution channels. The systems and methods may include associating a transaction account of the account holder with the offer, monitoring a transaction of the transaction account, comparing with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report for the merchant. The report may include various metrics of the offer, such as return on investment, tracking information on the number of repeat customers and new customers during an offer period, and may occur approximately real-time with the transaction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/698,244 filed Sep. 7, 2012, entitled “MARKETING CAMPAIGN APPLICATION FOR MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to generating an offer for distribution across multiple electronic distribution channels.

BACKGROUND

As the internet and electronic communications evolve into more interactive and personalized experiences for a user, more and more channels of electronic communication are developed, marketing efforts may be distributed across the multiple electronic communication channels, including various social media platforms. A merchant may be provided new opportunities to reach customers and potential customers in a faster, more targeted manner than conventional marketing. These new opportunities come with the burden of a merchant needing to generate and manage redundant and/or multiple offers for distribution across the multiple electronic communication channels. Further, it may be very difficult for a merchant to be able to calculate the return or benefit of multiple offers across the various channels.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides methods, systems, and computer readable medium for allowing a merchant to create offers for distribution via multiple electronic distribution channels. The electronic distribution channels may include social media networks and location based services. In various embodiments, the method comprises receiving, at a computer-based system, offer parameters for generating an offer, generating offer data based on the offer parameters and based on at least one of merchant data and multiple account holders' data, wherein the offer comprises providing a coupon-less offer to an account holder, determining a first data subset of the offer data for distribution through a first electronic distribution channel, and determining a second data subset of the offer data for distribution through a second electronic distribution channel. The offer parameters may be received from a merchant. Additionally, at least one of the first data subset distributed through the first electronic distribution channel is based on the capabilities of the first electronic distribution channel, and wherein the second data subset distributed through the second electronic distribution channel is based on the capabilities of the second electronic distribution channel. In various embodiments, the first electronic distribution channel and the second electronic distribution channel individually comprise at least one of a merchant website, a social media website, an affiliate website, a partner website, an external vendor, and a mobile device communication.

Further, in various embodiments, the method can also comprise receiving a selection of at least one merchant location for redemption of the offer. The method may include receiving a selection of a criterion for the offer. The offer parameters can be provided based on a business objective, and wherein the business objective is at least one of acquisition of new customers, and loyalty of prior customers. Also, the computer-based system can provide offer parameter guidelines based on the business objective. In various embodiments, the method can further comprise matching an accepted offer with a record of charge (ROC) in a transaction account held by the account holder, and crediting the transaction account based upon the matching. Similarly, the computer-based system may debit a transaction account held by a merchant in response to the crediting. A transaction account held by the merchant system may be debited in response to the computer-based system matching an accepted offer with a record of charge in a transaction account held by the account holder.

The account holder may be selected based on account history, where the account history comprises at least one of prior transaction data, loyalty points, reward points, location of prior transactions, past purchases, transaction amount, transaction volume, and account status. Further, the account holder may be selected based on at least one of demographics and a location of the account holder. The location of the account holder may be determined based upon at least one of: a zip code, a GPS signal, a location signal and a submitted location by the account holder.

In addition to generating an offer, the system and method may further include associating a transaction account of the account holder with the offer, monitoring a transaction of the transaction account, comparing the transaction with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report based on the transaction and account holder data. In addition, in various embodiments, the method may comprise obtaining transaction data of one or more transactions at the merchant from a third-party institution, where the transaction data corresponds to account holder data, comparing the one or more transactions with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report based on the one or more transactions and the account holder data. Providing the report to an entity that provides the offer parameters. The report may be provided to an entity that provides the offer parameters. The reporting information in the report may include at least one of number of the offers transmitted, number of the offers accepted, number of the offers redeemed, total value of the redeemed offers, average size of the transaction involving the offer, and rate of the offer redemption. The reporting information in the report may include a return on investment, where the return on investment is based on a comparison of the first transactions during an offer period and second transactions during a non-offer period. Additionally, the reporting information in the report may include non-transaction information, where the non-transaction information includes at least one of demographic information of the account holder and social media indicators. The reporting information in the report may include tracking information on repeat customers and new customers during an offer period. Also, the generation of the report can occur approximately real-time with the transaction. One advantage of approximately real-time report generation is the ability to modify the offer based on the reporting data. The real-time reporting may facilitate generating a second marketing campaign that modifies the offer based on reporting information in the report.

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides methods and systems for setting, by a merchant system, offer parameters, where an offer is generated based on the offer parameters by a computer-based system configured to facilitate the offer, selecting a first electronic distribution channel and a second electronic distribution channel, where the offer is distributed by the computer-based system to an account holder via the first electronic distribution channel and the second electronic distribution channel, and receiving, at the merchant system and from the computer-based system, a report based on a transaction associated with the offer. The method and system may further include a merchant selecting a merchant location for redemption of the offer, or setting a criterion for the offer. In various embodiments, the computer-based system can be configured to generate offer data based on the offer parameters and merchant transaction data, where the computer-based system is further configured to determine a first data subset of the offer data for distribution through the first electronic distribution channel and determine a second data subset of the offer data for distribution through the second electronic distribution channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like numbers refer to like elements.

FIG. 1 is a high level flow diagram of a process for generation and management of an offer across multiple distribution channels, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system diagram, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary high-level method of using a marketing campaign application 210, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method of generating an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a merchant log-in page of the marketing campaign application, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate exemplary screenshots of a social network set-up page of the marketing campaign application, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method of segmenting an offer based on a business objective, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of constructing an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary table of offer guidelines for an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates another exemplary screenshot of constructing an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a reviewing an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 12A-12B illustrate exemplary screenshots of selecting social networks for electronic distribution of an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an offer campaign on a mobile device, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of location management of an offer campaign, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a management dashboard of a marketing campaign application, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a reporting function of a marketing campaign application, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system used for implementing various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the exemplary embodiments by way of illustration and their best mode. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented. Moreover, any of the functions or steps may be outsourced to or performed by one or more third parties. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component may include a singular embodiment.

The present disclosure provides a method and system for facilitating the creation (e.g., by a merchant) of offers for distribution (e.g., via multiple electronic distribution channels). In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 1, a method comprises receiving offer parameters (e.g., from a merchant or third party entity) (step 101), generating the offer based on the offer parameters, data related to the merchant and/or multiple account holders (step 102), modifying the offer for distribution through a first electronic distribution channel (step 103), and modifying the offer for distribution through a second electronic distribution channel (step 104).

A system for implementing the described method, in various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 2, may include a marketing campaign system comprising a merchant system 201 in communication with a marketing campaign application 210, with the marketing campaign application 210 being in further communication with multiple electronic distribution channels 220. The marketing campaign application 210 receives offer parameters from merchant 201 or a third party entity. The campaign parameters may include merchant defined parameters, such as, for example, minimum spend, discount requirements, campaign duration, and/or locations accepting the campaign offer. In addition, marketing campaign application 210 may also receive merchant data and/or multiple account holders' data. The merchant data may be received from merchant 201 and/or a separate database. Similarly, multiple account holders' data may be received from one or more financial institutions, payment processors and/or a separate database. Marketing campaign application 210 generates offer data based on the offer parameters, merchant data, and/or multiple account holders' data. In various embodiments, marketing campaign application 210 determines which data of the offer data to provide to a specific electronic distribution channel. The determination of which data to provide is based on the capabilities of the specific electronic distribution channel. The electronic distribution channel capabilities can include various media content, hyperlinks, various display formats, various graphical options, and the like. The offer data may be modified for different electronic distribution channels in order to operate in association with the appropriate formats, provided data, graphical display, and other elements/functions as would be known to one skilled in the art after reading the present disclosure. The marketing campaign application 210 can be configured to parse the offer data in order to provide a subset of the offer data to the specific electronic distribution channel. Accordingly, the marketing campaign application 210 may generate a first data subset of the offer data to provide to a first electronic distribution channel 220A. The marketing campaign application 210 may also be configured to generate additional data subsets of the offer data to provide to one or more additional channels, such as a second data subset for a second electronic distribution channel 220B, a third data subset for a third electronic distribution channel 220C, a fourth data subset for a fourth electronic distribution channel 220D, etc.

In accordance with various embodiments, the individual electronic distribution channels may impact the formatting and appearance of the individual offers of the offer. Marketing campaign application 210 can be configured to provide specific input data to each electronic distribution channel, such that each individual channel receives the appropriate offer data. In various embodiments, the first electronic distribution channel 220 and/or the second electronic distribution channel 220 may comprise at least one of a merchant website, a social media website, affiliate or partner websites, an external vendor, a mobile device communication, social media network and/or location based service. Examples of social media channels include Facebook®, Foursquare®, Twitter®, MySpace®, LinkedIn®, and the like. Examples of affiliate or partner websites include American Express®, Groupon®, LivingSocial®, and the like. Moreover, examples of mobile device communications include texting, email, MMS and/or mobile applications for smartphones.

One benefit of marketing campaign application 210 is that merchant 201 does not have to fully or partially develop and manage multiple offers over multiple distribution channels. Marketing campaign application 210 fully or partially facilitates the development and management aspects of multiple subsets of offer data over multiple channels through a single interface. In this way, the offer data may be fully or partially consistent and merchant 201 can make a single change at marketing campaign application 210 that is incorporated in one or more of the multiple subsets of offer data. Furthermore, in various embodiments, merchant 201 can use the single interface to make changes specific to one or more offers without changing all the offers. For further information about changes to one offer (or offer model) impacting other offers (or offer models), see U.S. Pat. No. 8,150,662 issued on Apr. 3, 2012 and entitled “METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR VISUALIZING DEPENDENCIES OF SIMULATION MODELS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Creating an offer using the marketing campaign application 210 involves various steps for the user (e.g. merchant/marketing company). In various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 3, to create an offer a merchant accesses the marketing campaign application 210 landing page (301), and logs into the merchant site (302) of the marketing campaign application 210. The merchant sets up an offer campaign (303) and submits an offer for confirmation (304) by the marketing campaign application 210.

The setting up of an offer campaign may include various steps. For example and with reference to FIG. 4, a method of setting up an offer can include selecting a segment 401 which can include the purpose behind the offer such as acquisition, loyalty, or all-inclusive (as further explained herein). The method may also include selecting a construct 402 of whether the offer is a percentage discount, a certain value discount, and/or other. The method can also include selecting a duration 403 of the offer such as, for example a fixed date duration, a redemption cap, and/or a long-term offer expiration. Further, if the merchant has more than one location and/or website, the method can include selecting one or more locations 404 to be valid for the offer. After the offer campaign framework is setup, the merchant can review the offer and submit for confirmation 405. The marketing campaign application 210 can be configured to confirm the offer campaign and various electronic distribution channels, including third party channels 406. The confirmation may be based on any suitable criteria such as, for example, appropriateness of discount or reward, conformance with rules, duration requirements, etc.

Various examples of application screen shots and offers are presented to provide additional detail to the above disclosure. For example, FIG. 5 is one example of a merchant log-in page for accessing the marketing campaign application 210. The merchant provides a user identification and password for authentication and accessing the merchant's account. After a merchant has logged-on to the marketing campaign application 210, the merchant can connect to various electronic distribution channels as illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6D. In the exemplary screen shots, the electronic distribution channels include social media channels such as, for example, Facebook® and Foursquare®.

In various embodiments and with respect to FIG. 7, an offer campaign can be directed towards a selected segment of people based on a business objective, such as acquisition, loyalty, or all-inclusive. The acquisition objective can be designed to send the offer campaign to new customers that have not sufficiently patronized the merchant. The loyalty campaign can be designed to send the offer campaign to prior customers who have previously patronized the merchant. The all-inclusive campaign can be designed to send the offer campaign to both new and prior customers, and therefore reach a wider segment of people. Within the various segments, other criteria may be applied to further segment the directed offer. The other criteria may include a customer's location, a customer's patronage of similar or related merchants, how recently a customer patronized a merchant, and/or people or entities associated with the customer patronizing or being associated with the merchant. Customer interaction, association or patronization may be determined by merchant data, customer data or payment processor data.

The parameters of an offer are formed in order to build an offer campaign. The parameters may be set by the merchant. Further, the marketing campaign application 210 may suggest parameters for the merchant's consideration. With reference to FIG. 8, the exemplary screen shot illustrates selecting parameters such as percent discount or discount value, a spend threshold to receive the discount, the number of visits to use the offer, the duration (start and end dates), and whether the offer can be capped at a specific number of offers or redeemed offers. The referenced screen shot provides recommendations of the parameters to the merchant based on the merchant's average customer.

In accordance with various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 9, the marketing campaign application 210 can set boundaries and/or guidelines for the offer parameters according to the business objective. For example, an offer campaign with an all-inclusive objective can have a discount value guideline of 20% to 50%, with a 20% value being the default. Similarly, an offer campaign with a loyalty objective can have a discount value guideline of 15% to 50%, with a 15% value being the default. Likewise, an offer campaign with an acquisition objective can have a discount value guideline of 30% to 50%, with a 30% value being the default. The guideline limitations may be optional or required. The marketing campaign application 210 can require offers in line with the motivation so that it may provide guidance to the merchant. Furthermore, the marketing campaign application 210 is able to apply prior offer data to the current campaign, for example, by imposing such limitations.

In various embodiments, the marketing campaign application 210 is capable of providing recommendations based on an average customer because the marketing campaign application 210 receives past merchant transaction data from a payment processor or a third party institution. The past merchant transaction data includes both information on the merchant transactions and also information on the merchant's customers. For example and with reference to FIG. 10, the marketing campaign application 210 can provide offer parameter recommendations based on the average customer spending $45 per transaction and conducting 100 transactions a month. In this example, the average transaction amount of $45 is the basis for recommending a spend threshold of $45.

In various embodiments, the marketing campaign application 210 can vary the offer campaign based on different customer segments. For example, a first segment or population of customers may be offered a first discount level and a second segment or population of customers may be offered a second discount level. In one example, new customers may be offered a discount level of 25% and returning customers may be offered a discount level of 10%. Furthermore, various customers may be added or removed from the offer campaign for various reasons, such as removing consistent customers. Irregular prior customers may also be added or removed. For additional detail on removing specific people from a list, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/857,389, filed Aug. 16, 2010 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR E-MAIL BASED REWARDS,” is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In response to the offer campaign setup, the merchant may review and submit the offer, as illustrated in FIG. 11. The completed and confirmed offer campaign can be distributed across multiple electronic distribution channels. In various embodiments and with reference to FIGS. 12A-12B, the merchant can select which electronic distribution channels and associated social networks to distribute the offer campaign. One example of a completed mobile offer is illustrated in FIG. 13.

In addition to a merchant creating an offer campaign with various parameters, the offer campaign can be applied to multiple merchant locations (e.g. regions). In various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 14, a merchant may have more than one location. The offer campaign can be valid for one or more locations, as set by the merchant. The merchant can control which locations are valid for the offer campaign within the marketing campaign application 210. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the merchant can tailor the offer campaigns to individual locations as well. For example, a first location can have an offer campaign with an acquisition objective and a second location can have an offer campaign with a loyalty objective.

As part of the offer, an offer may be provided to an account holder as the customer. The offer may be valid in response to a transaction or the account holder satisfying at least one criterion of the offer. The criterion may be set by the merchant. The criterion may include one or more of a transaction date range, an enrollment cap, a spending percentage, a threshold level, and/or the like. The various types of offers may include an offer that is partially or fully applied at the time of the transaction, and/or an offer that is partially or fully applied after the transaction is completed. In order to apply the offer after the transaction is completed, the method may include matching an accepted offer with a record of charge (ROC) in a transaction account held by the account holder, and crediting the transaction account held by the account holder based upon the matching. The offer may be a rewards offer, such as an offer of a credit of monetary value to the transaction account, a merchant prepaid account, a discount, or a credit of loyalty points. For additional detail regarding applying an offer after the transaction is completed, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/411,281, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING COUPON-LESS DISCOUNTS BASED ON A USER BROADCASTED MESSAGE,” is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Again, the offer may be provided to an account holder via one or more distribution channels.

In accordance with various embodiments, an account holder is selected to receive an offer based on at least one of location, active registration, and/or prior transaction history. A location of an account holder may be determined based upon one or more of a travel itinerary, a GPS signal, a location signal, for example, proximity of a mobile communication device to a cellular base station, and/or a zip code. Further, an account holder may register to receive a coupon offer or a coupon-less offer. In various embodiments, a coupon offer can be redeemed when a customer presents a physical coupon or a digital-representation, such as a bar code on a mobile phone (e.g. during the transaction checkout.) The merchant processes the offer during the transaction and the discount may be applied prior to completion of the checkout. The tracking and reporting of the coupon redemption can be performed by the merchant.

In various embodiments, a coupon-less offer can be redeemed during a transaction without presenting a coupon or bar code. No interaction needs to take place at the merchant because the coupon-less offer is redeemed as a credit to the card member after the transaction is completed. Though coupons may be presented for a different offer during the transaction, it is understood that the coupon-less offer is conducted for that specific offer without a coupon present. Furthermore, a coupon provided to a user either before or after the transaction can still be considered a coupon-less offer if no coupon or bar code is presented during the transaction. An advantage of a coupon-less offer is that the redemption can be tracked and reported by a payment processor or third-party. An offer from a merchant registered to provide coupon-less offers may be transmitted to a mobile communication device. In various embodiments, the offer may be provided based upon the location of the account holder. In various embodiments, a merchant's offer may be limited to selecting, by the merchant, at least one merchant location for redemption of the offer. An offer, once accepted by an account holder, may be matched to a record of charge associated with a transaction account held by the account holder. A credit may be applied to the account holder's transaction account and a debit may be applied to a transaction account of the registered merchant. A credit may be applied based upon a transaction complying with one or more criteria specified by a registered merchant for a coupon-less offer. An exemplary criterion comprises a spend level on a class of products. One or more offer categories and/or one or more offer category classes may be transmitted to the mobile communication device based upon the account holder's location.

The determination of who receives the offer may also be based (at least in part) on the transaction history of the account holder. Furthermore, the qualification for any reward associated with the offer may be based (at least in part) on an aggregate transaction history of the account holder. Also, the qualification for the rebate credit may be based (at least in part) on a product identifier corresponding to at least one of a particular product or a vendor. An offer based on a prior transaction at a first merchant may result in an offer for the same first merchant or for a second merchant. For example, the second merchant may be a competitor of the first merchant or may be complementary to the first merchant, thereby having a higher likelihood of the account holder redeeming the offer.

An account holder can receive the predefined offer in a variety of ways. For example, the account holder can receive the predefined offer on a portable electronic device. Moreover, in various embodiments, an account holder identifier may be a unique identifier associated with the portable electronic device, which is associated with the account holder. The unique identifier associated with the portable electronic device may be used to match the transaction to an account holder identifier.

The marketing campaign application 210 may also include providing the merchant with management options and reporting options. In various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 15, the marketing campaign application 210 can provide a merchant with a management dashboard for presenting information related to the merchant's offers. As illustrated, a merchant may have multiple offers, with each campaign having specific parameters and statuses. In various embodiments, the merchant can control the status of the offers varying from live, pending, cancelled, and completed.

The reporting options may include a marketing analysis or monitoring of the success of various marketing programs and information relating to account holder participation therein. In various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 16, in addition to generating an offer, the system and method may further include reporting various metrics of the offer to the merchant or other entity. For example, the report may be provided to an entity that selects the offer parameters. In various embodiments, the systems and methods may include associating a transaction account of the account holder with the offer, monitoring a transaction of the transaction account, comparing the transaction with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report for the merchant based on the transaction and account holder information. Reporting information may include a daily, weekly, monthly or other periodic breakdown of the total sales and total discounts generated by an offer. This information can help the merchant track the trends of the offer, such as whether the total sales are increasing or decreasing over time. In addition, the reporting information may include tracking information on the number of repeat customers and new customers during an offer period. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the report generating may occur during any time period, and in various embodiments in approximately real-time with the transaction. One advantage of approximately real-time report generation is the ability to modify the offer based on the reporting data.

In various embodiments, a reporting method may include associating, by a computer-based system, a transaction account of an account holder with an offer, monitoring a transaction of the transaction account, comparing the transaction with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report for a merchant based on the transaction and account holder information. The generated report may include several types of analysis and information for the merchant. For example, reporting information in the report may include at least one of number of offers transmitted, number of offers accepted, number of offers redeemed, total value of redeemed offers, average size of transaction involving the offer, and rate of offer redemption.

In various embodiments, the reporting information in the report may include a return on investment or performance information. The return on investment is based on a comparison of transactions during an offer period and transactions during a non-offer period. This metric may be calculated in multiple ways. For instance, the metric could compare all of the transactions in an “offer” period to all of the transactions in a “non-offer” period. The metric may also determine whether an account holder or user spent a minimum amount to receive the offer or more than the minimum amount defined in the offer. These comparisons help capture the secondary effect of providing an offer to account holders, such as the effect of marketing the offer. Such comparisons could also be seasonally adjusted in order to obtain a more accurate understanding of an offers impact on business. Further, the reporting may separately analyze transactions making use of the offer versus transactions not making use of the offer.

In various embodiments, the reporting information in the report may include tracking information on the number of repeat customers and new customers during an offer period. The determination of whether a customer is a repeat customer or a new customer may be based on the transaction history of the account holder. When generating the report, a search of a transaction account number in a database having prior transactions is conducted. If a match is found, then the account holder is a repeat customer. If a match is not found, then the customer may be considered a new customer. Furthermore, in various embodiments a search for a merchant identifier in the account holder's transaction history database may be conducted. If the merchant identifier is located in the account holder's transaction history, then the customer may be considered a repeat customer of the merchant. If the merchant identifier is not found, then the customer may be considered a new customer of the merchant.

In various embodiments, the reporting information in the report may include non-transaction information, and the non-transaction information may include at least one of demographic information of the account holder and social media indicators. With respect to demographic information, the report may contain information such as age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, income, marital status, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and location. The demographic information may be obtained directly from the account holder or may be obtained from an account holder database. The demographic information can be useful to a merchant to validate whether an offer directed towards a specific demographic is yielding results. The demographic information may aid a merchant in selecting a specific demographic to target in an offer.

With respect to social media indicators, in various embodiments, the report may contain information such as the number of “likes”, “shares”, or any other indication given by an account holder to a social media network of a response to the offer.

If the marketing campaign system has access to both the account holder information and the transaction information, the system is able to obtain data on both the customer account and the merchant transaction. In various embodiments, the marketing campaign system is configured to access the transaction information and account holder information in approximately real-time, and thereby generate the report approximately real-time with the transaction. In various embodiments, the transaction information and account holder information is accessed on a delayed time period, such as daily. Even if the reporting is not real-time, frequent offer reports still enable the merchant to receive timely status updates on the offer. The timely reports may enable the merchant to modify the current offer based on the reporting data. In accordance with various embodiments, marketing campaign application 210 comprises an application programming interface (API) configured to retrieve transaction data in approximately real-time to the occurrence of a transaction. The transaction data is inputted into marketing campaign application 210 and enables reporting on the performance of the current offer, and overall campaign performance may influence changes to the current campaign or to a future offer.

In various embodiments, a marketing campaign system has limited access to merchant and account holder data. A marketing campaign reporting method may include receiving, from a financial institution, batch data on multiple transactions. The marketing campaign reporting method includes filtering the batch data for a transaction at the merchant and account holder information associated with the transaction, comparing the transaction with a criterion governing an offer, and generating a report for the merchant based on the transaction and the account holder information. The reporting information in the report may include at least one of number of offers transmitted, number of offers accepted, number of offers redeemed, total value of redeemed offers, average size of transaction involving the offer, and rate of offer redemption. Further, the reporting information in the report may include a return on investment, wherein the return on investment is based on a comparison of transactions during an offer period and transactions during a non-offer period. Further, the reporting information in the report may include non-transaction information, wherein the non-transaction information includes at least one of demographic information of the account holder and social media indicators

In various embodiments where the marketing campaign system receives batch data on multiple transactions from a financial institution and filters for a transaction at the merchant and account holder information associated with the transaction, the batch data may not be received in approximately real-time. Even if the batch data is received after an offer is completed, a second offer may be generated based on the batch data.

The present system or any part(s) or function(s) thereof may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. However, the manipulations performed by embodiments were often referred to in terms, such as matching or selecting, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of the operations described herein. Rather, the operations may be machine operations. Useful machines for performing the various embodiments include general purpose digital computers, similar devices, or special purpose machines.

In fact, in various embodiments, the embodiments are directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein. An example of a computer system 1700 is shown in FIG. 17.

The computer system 1700 includes one or more processors, such as processor 1704. The processor 1704 is connected to a communication infrastructure 1706 (e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network). Various software embodiments are described in terms of this exemplary computer system. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement various embodiments using other computer systems and/or architectures.

Computer system 1700 can include a display interface 1702 that forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication infrastructure 1706 (or from a frame buffer not shown) for display on a display unit.

Computer system 1700 also includes a main memory 1705, such as for example random access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 1710. The secondary memory 1710 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1712 and/or a removable storage drive 1714, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 1714 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 1718 in a well known manner. Removable storage unit 1718 represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 1714. As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit 1718 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.

In various embodiments, secondary memory 1710 may include other similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 1700. Such devices may include, for example, a removable storage unit 1718 and an interface 1720. Examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or programmable read only memory (PROM)) and associated socket, and other removable storage units 1718 and interfaces 1720, which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 1718 to computer system 1700.

Computer system 1700 may also include a communications interface 1724. Communications interface 1724 allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 1700 and external devices. Examples of communications interface 1724 may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface 1724 are in the form of signals 1728 which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 1724. These signals 1728 are provided to communications interface 1724 via a communications path (e.g., channel) 1726. This channel 1726 carries signals 1728 and may be implemented using wire, cable, fiber optics, a telephone line, a cellular link, a radio frequency (RF) link, wireless and other communications channels.

The terms “computer program medium” and “computer usable medium” are used to generally refer to media such as removable storage drive 1714 and a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 1712. These computer program products provide software to computer system 1700.

Computer programs (also referred to as computer control logic) are stored in main memory 1705 and/or secondary memory 1710. Computer programs may also be received via communications interface 1724. Such computer programs, when executed, enable the computer system 1700 to perform the features as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 1704 to perform the features of various embodiments. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system 1700.

In various embodiments, software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 1700 using removable storage drive 1714, hard disk drive 1712 or communications interface 1724. The control logic (software), when executed by the processor 1704, causes the processor 1704 to perform the functions of various embodiments as described herein.

In various embodiments, hardware components are included such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Implementation of the hardware so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).

One skilled in the art will appreciate that system 1700 may employ any number of databases in any number of configurations. Further, any databases discussed herein may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, graphical, object-oriented, and/or other database configurations. Common database products that may be used to implement the databases include DB2 by IBM (White Plains, N.Y.), various database products available from Oracle Corporation (Redwood Shores, Calif.), Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server by Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.), or any other suitable database product. Moreover, the databases may be organized in any suitable manner, for example, as data tables or lookup tables. Each record may be a single file, a series of files, a linked series of data fields or any other data structure. Association of certain data may be accomplished through any desired data association technique such as those known or practiced in the art. For example, the association may be accomplished either manually or automatically. Automatic association techniques may include, for example, a database search, a database merge, GREP, AGREP, SQL, using a key field in the tables to speed searches, sequential searches through all the tables and files, sorting records in the file according to a known order to simplify lookup, and/or the like. The association step may be accomplished by a database merge function, for example, using a “key field” in pre-selected databases or data sectors.

More particularly, a “key field” partitions the database according to the high-level class of objects defined by the key field. For example, certain types of data may be designated as a key field in a plurality of related data tables and the data tables may then be linked on the basis of the type of data in the key field. The data corresponding to the key field in each of the linked data tables may be the same or of the same type. However, data tables having similar, though not identical, data in the key fields may also be linked by using AGREP, for example. Any suitable data storage technique may be utilized to store data without a standard format. Data sets may be stored using any suitable technique, including, for example, storing individual files using an ISO/IEC 7816-4 file structure; implementing a domain whereby a dedicated file is selected that exposes one or more elementary files containing one or more data sets; using data sets stored in individual files using a hierarchical filing system; data sets stored as records in a single file (including compression, SQL accessible, hashed via one or more keys, numeric, alphabetical by first tuple, etc.); Binary Large Object (BLOB); stored as ungrouped data elements encoded using ISO/IEC 7816-6 data elements; stored as ungrouped data elements encoded using ISO/IEC Abstract Syntax Notation (ASN.1) as in ISO/IEC 8824 and 8825; and/or other proprietary techniques that may include fractal compression methods, image compression methods, etc.

In various embodiments, the ability to store a wide variety of information in different formats is facilitated by storing the information as a BLOB. Thus, any binary information can be stored in a storage space associated with a data set. As discussed above, the binary information may be stored on the financial transaction instrument or external to but affiliated with the financial transaction instrument. The BLOB method may store data sets as ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary via a fixed memory offset using either fixed storage allocation, circular queue techniques, or best practices with respect to memory management (e.g., paged memory, least recently used, etc.). By using BLOB methods, the ability to store various data sets that have different formats facilitates the storage of data associated with system 1700 by multiple and unrelated owners of the data sets. For example, a first data set which may be stored may be provided by a first party, a second data set which may be stored may be provided by an unrelated second party, and yet a third data set which may be stored, may be provided by an third party unrelated to the first and second party. Each of these three exemplary data sets may contain different information that is stored using different data storage formats and/or techniques. Further, each data set may contain subsets of data that also may be distinct from other subsets.

As stated above, in various embodiments of system 1700, the data can be stored without regard to a common format. However, in one exemplary embodiment, the data set (e.g., BLOB) may be annotated in a standard manner when provided for manipulating the data onto the financial transaction instrument. The annotation may comprise a short header, trailer, or other appropriate indicator related to each data set that is configured to convey information useful in managing the various data sets. For example, the annotation may be called a “condition header”, “header”, “trailer”, or “status”, herein, and may comprise an indication of the status of the data set or may include an identifier correlated to a specific issuer or owner of the data. In one example, the first three bytes of each data set BLOB may be configured or configurable to indicate the status of that particular data set; e.g., LOADED, INITIALIZED, READY, BLOCKED, REMOVABLE, or DELETED. Subsequent bytes of data may be used to indicate for example, the identity of the issuer, user, transaction/membership account identifier or the like. Each of these condition annotations are further discussed herein.

The data set annotation may also be used for other types of status information as well as various other purposes. For example, the data set annotation may include security information establishing access levels. The access levels may, for example, be configured to permit only certain individuals, levels of employees, companies, or other entities to access data sets, or to permit access to specific data sets based on the transaction, merchant, issuer, user or the like. Furthermore, the security information may restrict/permit only certain actions such as accessing, modifying, and/or deleting data sets. In one example, the data set annotation indicates that only the data set owner or the user are permitted to delete a data set, various identified users may be permitted to access the data set for reading, and others are altogether excluded from accessing the data set. However, other access restriction parameters may also be used allowing various entities to access a data set with various permission levels as appropriate.

The data, including the header or trailer may be received by a stand-alone interaction device configured to add, delete, modify, or augment the data in accordance with the header or trailer. As such, in various embodiments, the header or trailer is not stored on the transaction device along with the associated issuer-owned data but instead the appropriate action may be taken by providing to the transaction instrument user at the stand-alone device, the appropriate option for the action to be taken. System 1700 contemplates a data storage arrangement wherein the header or trailer, or header or trailer history, of the data is stored on the transaction instrument in relation to the appropriate data.

One skilled in the art will also appreciate that, for security reasons, any databases, systems, devices, servers or other components of system 1700 may consist of any combination thereof at a single location or at multiple locations, wherein each database or system 1700 includes any of various suitable security features, such as firewalls, access codes, encryption, decryption, compression, decompression, and/or the like.

In addition to those described herein, the various system components discussed herein may include one or more of the following: a host server or other computing systems including a processor for processing digital data; a memory coupled to the processor for storing digital data; an input digitizer coupled to the processor for inputting digital data; an application program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing processing of digital data by the processor; a display device coupled to the processor and memory for displaying information derived from digital data processed by the processor, and a plurality of databases. Various databases used herein may include: client data; merchant data; financial institution data; and/or like data useful in the operation of the present system. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, user computer may include an operating system (e.g., Windows NT, 95/98/2000, OS2, UNIX, Linux, Solaris, MacOS, etc.) as well as various conventional support software and drivers typically associated with computers. The computer may include any suitable personal computer, network computer, workstation, minicomputer, mainframe or the like. User computer can be in a home or business environment with access to a network. In an exemplary embodiment, access is through a network or the Internet through a commercially-available web-browser software package.

The phrases account holder or cardmember may include any person, entity, government organization, business, machine associated with a transaction account, regardless of whether a physical card is associated with the account. For example, the cardmember may include a transaction account owner, a transaction account user, an account affiliate, a child account user, a subsidiary account user, a beneficiary of an account, a custodian of an account, and/or any other person or entity affiliated or associated with a transaction account.

As used herein, the term “network” includes any cloud, cloud computing system or electronic communications system or method which incorporates hardware and/or software components. Communication among the parties may be accomplished through any suitable communication channels, such as, for example, a telephone network, an extranet, an intranet, Internet, point of interaction device (point of sale device, personal digital assistant (e.g., iPhone®, Palm Pilot®, Blackberry®), cellular phone, kiosk, etc.), online communications, satellite communications, off-line communications, wireless communications, transponder communications, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), networked or linked devices, keyboard, mouse and/or any suitable communication or data input modality. Moreover, although the system is frequently described herein as being implemented with TCP/IP communications protocols, the system may also be implemented using IPX, Appletalk, IP-6, NetBIOS, OSI, any tunneling protocol (e.g. IPsec, SSH), or any number of existing or future protocols. If the network is in the nature of a public network, such as the Internet, it may be advantageous to presume the network to be insecure and open to eavesdroppers. Specific information related to the protocols, standards, and application software utilized in connection with the Internet is generally known to those skilled in the art and, as such, need not be detailed herein. See, for example, DILIP NAIK, INTERNET STANDARDS AND PROTOCOLS (1998); JAVA 2 COMPLETE, various authors, (Sybex 1999); DEBORAH RAY AND ERIC RAY, MASTERING HTML 4.0 (1997); and LOSHIN, TCP/IP CLEARLY EXPLAINED (1997) and DAVID GOURLEY AND BRIAN TOTTY, HTTP, THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE (2002), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

“Cloud” or “Cloud computing” includes a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Cloud computing may include location-independent computing, whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. For more information regarding cloud computing, see the NIST's (National Institute of Standards and Technology) definition of cloud computing at http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/cloud-computing/cloud-def-v15.doc (last visited Feb. 4, 2011), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In various embodiments, components, modules, and/or engines of system 100 may be implemented as micro-applications or micro-apps. Micro-apps are typically deployed in the context of a mobile operating system, including for example, a Palm mobile operating system, a Windows mobile operating system, an Android Operating System, Apple iOS, a Blackberry operating system and the like. The micro-app may be configured to leverage the resources of the larger operating system and associated hardware via a set of predetermined rules which govern the operations of various operating systems and hardware resources. For example, where a micro-app desires to communicate with a device or network other than the mobile device or mobile operating system, the micro-app may leverage the communication protocol of the operating system and associated device hardware under the predetermined rules of the mobile operating system. Moreover, where the micro-app desires an input from a user, the micro-app may be configured to request a response from the operating system which monitors various hardware components and then communicates a detected input from the hardware to the micro-app.

The disclosure may be described herein in terms of functional block components, screen shots, optional selections and various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such functional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and/or software components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, system 1700 may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic elements, lookup tables, and/or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the software elements of system 1700 may be implemented with any programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, COBOL, assembler, PERL, Visual Basic, SQL Stored Procedures, extensible markup language (XML), with the various algorithms being implemented with any combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines or other programming elements. Further, it should be noted that system 1700 may employ any number of conventional techniques for data transmission, signaling, data processing, network control, and/or the like. Still further, system 1700 could be used to detect or prevent security issues with a client-side scripting language, such as JavaScript, VBScript or the like. For a basic introduction of cryptography and network security, see any of the following references: (1) “Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, And Source Code In C,” by Bruce Schneier, published by John Wiley & Sons (second edition, 1995); (2) “Java Cryptography” by Jonathan Knudson, published by O'Reilly & Associates (1998); (3) “Cryptography & Network Security: Principles & Practice” by William Stallings, published by Prentice Hall; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Phrases and terms similar to “business”, “merchant”, “supplier” or “seller” may be used interchangeably with each other and shall mean any person, entity, distributor, system, software and/or hardware. The merchant may be a provider, broker and/or any other entity in the distribution chain of goods or services and/or that receives payment or other consideration. For example, a merchant may be a grocery store, a retail store, a travel agency, a service provider, an on-line merchant or the like. For example, a supplier may request payment for goods sold to a buyer who holds an account with a transaction account issuer.

The terms “user,” “end user,” “consumer,” “customer,” “participant,” and/or the plural form of these terms are used interchangeably throughout herein to refer to those persons or entities capable of accessing, using, being affected by and/or benefiting from the tool that the present disclosure provides for the rewards program described herein. This includes both individual consumers and corporate customers such as, for example, small businesses.

Phrases and terms similar to an “item” may include any good, service, information, experience, reward, points, coupons, credits, monetary equivalent, anything of value, something of minimal or no value, etc.

Phrases and terms similar to “financial institution,” “transaction account issuer,” “issuer”, and “payment processor” may be used interchangeably and include any person, entity, software and/or hardware that offers transaction account services. For example, a payment processor may include an issuer and/or an acquirer. Although often referred to as a “financial institution,” the financial institution may represent any type of bank, lender or other type of account issuing institution, such as credit card companies, card sponsoring companies, or third party issuers under contract with financial institutions. It is further noted that other participants may be involved in some phases of the transaction, such as an intermediary settlement institution. Phrases or terms similar to a “processor” (such as a payment processor) may include a company (e.g., a third party institution) appointed (e.g., by a merchant) to handle transactions for merchant banks. Processors may be broken down into two types: front-end and back-end. Front-end processors have connections to various transaction accounts and supply authorization and settlement services to the merchant banks' merchants. Back-end processors accept settlements from front-end processors and, via The Federal Reserve Bank, move money from an issuing bank to the merchant bank. In an operation that will usually take a few seconds, the payment processor will both check the details received by forwarding the details to the respective account's issuing bank or card association for verification, and may carry out a series of anti-fraud measures against the transaction. Additional parameters, including the account's country of issue and its previous payment history, may be used to gauge the probability of the transaction being approved. In response to the payment processor receiving confirmation that the transaction account details have been verified, the information may be relayed back to the merchant, who will then complete the payment transaction. In response to the verification being denied, the payment processor relays the information to the merchant, who may then decline the transaction.

As used herein, “distribution channel” may include transmitting data using various methods and applications using any suitable communication channels. As used herein, “transmit” may include sending electronic data from one system component to another over a network connection. Additionally, as used herein, “data” may include encompassing information such as commands, queries, files, data for storage, and the like in digital or any other form.

Phrases or terms similar to “transaction account” may include any account that may be used to facilitate a financial transaction. A “transaction account” as used herein refers to an account associated with an open account or a closed account system (as described herein). The transaction account may exist in a physical or non-physical embodiment. For example, a transaction account may be distributed in non-physical embodiments such as an account number, frequent-flyer account, and telephone calling account or the like. Furthermore, a physical embodiment of a transaction account may be distributed as a financial instrument.

In general, transaction accounts may be used for transactions between the user and merchant through any suitable communication means, such as, for example, a telephone network, intranet, the global, public Internet, a point of interaction device (e.g., a point of sale (POS) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, kiosk, etc.), online communications, off-line communications, wireless communications, and/or the like.

An “account”, “account code”, or “account number”, as used herein, may include any device, code, number, letter, symbol, digital certificate, smart chip, digital signal, analog signal, biometric or other identifier/indicia suitably configured to allow the consumer to access, interact with or communicate with the system (e.g., one or more of an authorization/access code, personal identification number (PIN), Internet code, other identification code, and/or the like). The account number may optionally be located on or associated with a rewards card, charge card, credit card, debit card, prepaid card, telephone card, embossed card, smart card, magnetic stripe card, bar code card, transponder, radio frequency card or an associated account. The system may include or interface with any of the foregoing cards or devices, or a transponder and RFID reader in RF communication with the transponder (which may include a fob). Typical devices may include, for example, a key ring, tag, card, cell phone, wristwatch or any such form capable of being presented for interrogation. Moreover, the system, computing unit or device discussed herein may include a “pervasive computing device,” which may include a traditionally non-computerized device that is embedded with a computing unit. Examples can include watches, Internet enabled kitchen appliances, restaurant tables embedded with RF readers, wallets or purses with imbedded transponders, etc.

The account code may be distributed and stored in any form of plastic, electronic, magnetic, radio frequency, wireless, audio and/or optical device capable of transmitting or downloading data from itself to a second device. A customer account code may be, for example, a sixteen-digit transaction account code, although each transaction account provider has its own numbering system, such as the fifteen-digit numbering system used by American Express. Each company's transaction account codes comply with that company's standardized format such that the company using a fifteen-digit format will generally use three-spaced sets of numbers, as represented by the number “0000 000000 00000”. The first five to seven digits are reserved for processing purposes and identify the issuing bank, card type, etc. In this example, the last (fifteenth) digit is used as a sum check for the fifteen digit number. The intermediary eight-to-eleven digits are used to uniquely identify the customer. A merchant account code may be, for example, any number or alpha-numeric characters that identify a particular merchant for purposes of card acceptance, account reconciliation, reporting, or the like.

It is noted that references in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it would be within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

These software elements may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, functional blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each functional block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of functional blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by either special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions or steps, or suitable combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. Further, illustrations of the process flows and the descriptions thereof may make reference to user windows, web pages, web sites, web forms, prompts, etc. Practitioners will appreciate that the illustrated steps described herein may comprise in any number of configurations including the use of windows, web pages, web forms, popup windows, prompts and/or the like. It should be further appreciated that the multiple steps as illustrated and described may be combined into single web pages and/or windows but have been expanded for the sake of simplicity. In other cases, steps illustrated and described as single process steps may be separated into multiple web pages and/or windows but have been combined for simplicity.

Practitioners will appreciate that there are a number of methods for displaying data within a browser-based document. Data may be represented as standard text or within a fixed list, scrollable list, drop-down list, editable text field, fixed text field, pop-up window, and/or the like. Likewise, there are a number of methods available for modifying data in a web page such as, for example, free text entry using a keyboard, selection of menu items, check boxes, option boxes, and/or the like.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to ‘at least one of A, B, or C’ is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described exemplary embodiments that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Further, a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: presenting, by a computer-based system and via a marketing campaign application, a merchant account dashboard to a merchant system of a merchant, wherein the merchant account dashboard includes a social network set up tab with selectable links that are configured to link the marketing campaign application with a selected social network, and wherein the marketing campaign application is configured to graphically present user selectable offer information, and wherein the merchant system is operated by at least one of a transaction processor, a transaction account issuer, or a reward program provider; receiving, by the computer-based system and at the merchant account dashboard, a selection of a first social media channel; requesting, by the computer-based system and by the merchant campaign application, first authentication information for the first social media channel; linking, by the computer-based system, the first social media channel with the merchant campaign application; linking, by the computer-based system, a second social media channel in response to receiving a selection of the second social media channel and second authentication information; receiving, at a computer-based system, offer parameters for generating a first offer and a second offer, wherein the offer parameters include a first offer type, and merchant data for the first offer and a second offer type and merchant data for the second offer; storing, by the computer-based system, the offer parameters in a database, wherein the storing includes using a binary large object method to store different data sets from different merchants with different formats as ungrouped data elements via a fixed memory offset; storing, by the computer-based system, the offer parameters in the database by annotating the offer parameters with a header, trailer or indicator to convey information for managing the offer parameters; annotating, by the computer-based system, the binary large object with a security access level; providing, by the computer-based system, based on the security access level, access for the merchant to the offer parameters; determining, by the computer-based system, offer data for the first offer and the second offer based on the offer parameters and account holder data; determining, by the computer-based system, a first electronic distribution channel for the first offer based on the first offer type and the offer parameters wherein the first electronic distribution channel is the first social media channel that is configured to broadcast text and images, creating, by the computer-based system, an opt-in criteria for the offer based on the first social media channel; generating, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining the first electronic distribution channel, the first offer in a first offer format for distribution, wherein the first offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the first electronic distribution channel, and wherein the first offer includes the opt-in criteria as a point of interaction with the first offer, wherein the first offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the first electronic distribution channel; generating, by the computer-based system and based on the opt-in criteria, a software-enabled and user selectable opt-in button to associate with the first offer; determining, by the computer-based system, a second electronic distribution channel for the second offer based on the second offer type and the offer parameters wherein the second electronic distribution channel is the second social media channel that is configured to broadcast text; and generating, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining the second electronic distribution channel, the second offer in a second offer format for distribution, wherein the second offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the second electronic distribution channel, wherein the second offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the second electronic distribution channel.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system, a selection of at least one merchant location for redemption of the offer.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer parameters are provided based on a business objective, and wherein the business objective is at least one of acquisition of new customers, and loyalty of prior customers.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer-based system provides offer parameter guidelines based on the business objective.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: matching, by the computer-based system, an accepted offer with a record of charge (ROC) in a transaction account held by the account holder; and crediting, by the computer-based system, the transaction account based upon the matching.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising debiting, by the computer-based system, a transaction account held by a merchant in response to the crediting.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the account holder is selected, by the computer-based system, based on account history, and wherein the account history comprises at least one of prior transaction data, loyalty points, reward points, location of prior transactions, past purchases, transaction amount, transaction volume, or account status, and wherein each of the prior transaction data, past purchases, transaction amount and transaction volume is associated with a financial transaction.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the account holder is selected based on at least one of demographics or a location of the account holder.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, a location of the account holder based upon at least one of: a zip code, a GPS signal, a location signal or a submitted location by the account holder.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer parameters are received from a merchant.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating, by the computer-based system, a transaction account of the account holder with at least one of the first offer or the second offer; monitoring, by the computer-based system, a transaction of the transaction account; comparing, by the computer-based system, the transaction with a criterion governing at least one of the first offer or the second offer; and generating, by the computer-based system, a report based on the transaction and account holder data.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing, by the computer-based system, the report to an entity that provides the offer parameters.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein reporting information in the report includes at least one of number of the offers transmitted, number of the offers accepted, number of the offers redeemed, total value of the redeemed offers, average size of the transaction involving the offer, or rate of the offer redemption.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein reporting information in the report includes a return on investment, wherein the return on investment is based on a comparison of the first transactions during an offer period and second transactions during a non-offer period.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein reporting information in the report includes non-transaction information, and wherein the non-transaction information includes at least one of demographic information of the account holder or social media indicators.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein reporting information in the report includes tracking information on repeat customers and new customers during an offer period.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the marketing campaign application comprises an application programming interface (API) configured to retrieve transaction data in approximately real-time to the occurrence of the transaction, and wherein the generating the report occurs in real-time with the transaction and in response to the transaction being initiated.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of generating a second marketing campaign or modifying the offer based on reporting information in the report.
 19. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising: presenting, by the computer-based system and via a marketing campaign application, a merchant account dashboard to a merchant system of a merchant, wherein the merchant account dashboard includes a social network set up tab with selectable links that are configured to link the marketing campaign application with a selected social network, and wherein the marketing campaign application is configured to graphically present user selectable offer information, and wherein the merchant system is operated by at least one of a transaction processor, a transaction account issuer, or a reward program provider; receiving, by the computer-based system and at the merchant account dashboard, a selection of a first social media channel; requesting, by the computer-based system and by the merchant campaign application, first authentication information for the first social media channel; linking, by the computer-based system, the first social media channel with the merchant campaign application; linking, by the computer-based system, a second social media channel in response to receiving a selection of the second social media channel and second authentication information; receiving, at a computer-based system, offer parameters for generating a first offer and a second offer, wherein the offer parameters include a first offer type, and merchant data for the first offer and a second offer type and merchant data for the second offer; storing, by the computer-based system, the offer parameters in a database, wherein the storing includes using a binary large object method to store different data sets from different merchants with different formats as ungrouped data elements via a fixed memory offset; storing, by the computer-based system, the offer parameters in the database by annotating the offer parameters with a header, trailer or indicator to convey information for managing the offer parameters; annotating, by the computer-based system, the binary large object with a security access level; providing, by the computer-based system, based on the security access level, access for the merchant to the offer parameters; determining, by the computer-based system, offer data for the first offer and the second offer based on the offer parameters and account holder data; determining, by the computer-based system, a first electronic distribution channel for the first offer based on the first offer type and the offer parameters wherein the first electronic distribution channel is the first social media channel that is configured to broadcast text and images, creating, by the computer-based system, an opt-in criteria for the offer based on the first social media channel; generating, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining the first electronic distribution channel, the first offer in a first offer format for distribution, wherein the first offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the first electronic distribution channel, and wherein the first offer includes the opt-in criteria as a point of interaction with the first offer, wherein the first offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the first electronic distribution channel; generating, by the computer-based system and based on the opt-in criteria, a software-enabled and user selectable opt-in button to associate with the first offer; determining, by the computer-based system, a second electronic distribution channel for the second offer based on the second offer type and the offer parameters wherein the second electronic distribution channel is the second social media channel that is configured to broadcast text; and generating, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining the second electronic distribution channel, the second offer in a second offer format for distribution, wherein the second offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the second electronic distribution channel, wherein the second offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the second electronic distribution channel.
 20. A system comprising: a processor, a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: presenting, by the processor and via a marketing campaign application, a merchant account dashboard to a merchant system of a merchant, wherein the merchant account dashboard includes a social network set up tab with selectable links that are configured to link the marketing campaign application with a selected social network, and wherein the marketing campaign application is configured to graphically present user selectable offer information, and wherein the merchant system is operated by at least one of a transaction processor, a transaction account issuer, or a reward program provider; receiving, by the processor and at the merchant account dashboard, a selection of a first social media channel; requesting, by the processor and by the merchant campaign application, first authentication information for the first social media channel; linking, by the processor, the first social media channel with the merchant campaign application; linking, by the processor, a second social media channel in response to receiving a selection of the second social media channel and second authentication information; receiving, at a processor, offer parameters for generating a first offer and a second offer, wherein the offer parameters include a first offer type, and merchant data for the first offer and a second offer type and merchant data for the second offer; storing, by the processor, the offer parameters in a database, wherein the storing includes using a binary large object method to store different data sets from different merchants with different formats as ungrouped data elements via a fixed memory offset; storing, by the processor, the offer parameters in the database by annotating the offer parameters with a header, trailer or indicator to convey information for managing the offer parameters; annotating, by the processor, the binary large object with a security access level; providing, by the processor, based on the security access level, access for the merchant to the offer parameters; determining, by the processor, offer data for the first offer and the second offer based on the offer parameters and account holder data; determining, by the processor, a first electronic distribution channel for the first offer based on the first offer type and the offer parameters wherein the first electronic distribution channel is the first social media channel that is configured to broadcast text and images, creating, by the processor, an opt-in criteria for the offer based on the first social media channel; generating, by the processor and in response to the determining the first electronic distribution channel, the first offer in a first offer format for distribution, wherein the first offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the first electronic distribution channel, and wherein the first offer includes the opt-in criteria as a point of interaction with the first offer, wherein the first offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the first electronic distribution channel; generating, by the processor and based on the opt-in criteria, a software-enabled and user selectable opt-in button to associate with the first offer; determining, by the processor, a second electronic distribution channel for the second offer based on the second offer type and the offer parameters wherein the second electronic distribution channel is the second social media channel that is configured to broadcast text; and generating, by the processor and in response to the determining the second electronic distribution channel, the second offer in a second offer format for distribution, wherein the second offer format is customized for and defined by parameters of the second electronic distribution channel, wherein the second offer includes hyperlinks customized for operation in the second electronic distribution channel. 